Kiʻilani Arruda | |
---|---|
![]() Arruda in 2020 | |
Born | Kapaa, Hawaii, U.S. | April 13, 2002
Education | University of Puget Sound |
Beauty pageant titleholder | |
Title |
|
Hair color | Black[citation needed] |
Eye color | Brown[citation needed] |
Major competition(s) | Miss Teen USA 2020 (Winner) |
Kiʻilani Arruda (born 13 April 2002) is an American activist and beauty queen who was crowned Miss Teen USA 2020. Arruda had previously been crowned Miss Hawaii Teen USA 2020; she is the second entrant from Hawaii to have been crowned Miss Teen USA.
Early life and education
Arruda was born on 13 April 2002, in Kapaa, Hawaii.[1][2] She is half Filipino.[3] She has two siblings, one with autism, that led her to became an advocate for autism awareness.[4][5][2]
Arruda attended Island School in Lihue, where she was elected student body president and maintained a GPA of 4.0, graduating in 2020.[6] While in high school, she was a member of her school's varsity volleyball, swim, and track and field teams.[2] Prior to becoming Miss Teen USA, she was a freshman at the University of Puget Sound, studying molecular and cellular biology on a pre-medical track, with a minor in Spanish.[5]
Pageantry
Arruda won Miss Kauai Teen USA 2018, which allowed her to compete in Miss Hawaii Teen USA 2019, where she reached second runner-up and was selected as Miss Congeniality.[7][8][9][10] She later returned to the competition the following year, and was crowned Miss Hawaii Teen USA 2020.[11]
As Miss Hawaii Teen USA, Arruda represented Hawaii and won at Miss Teen USA 2020. Originally planned for the spring of 2020, the competition was postponed due to the COVID-19 pandemic, and later held on November 7, 2020, at Graceland in Memphis, Tennessee.[6][12] She was crowned by the outgoing titleholder Kaliegh Garris.[13] Following her win, she became the second entrant from Hawaii to win the competition, following Kelly Hu who had been crowned Miss Teen USA 1985.[5][14][15][16]
References
- ^ We wanted to wish our #teenqueen a very Happy 18th Birthday!, Miss Kauai USA, April 13, 2020, archived from the original on December 24, 2021
- ^ a b c "Kiʻilani Arruda". Miss Teen USA. Archived from the original on November 13, 2020. Retrieved November 7, 2020.
- ^ Tuazon, Nikko (November 8, 2020). "Filipino-American Ki'ilani Arruda crowned Miss Teen USA 2020". PEP. Archived from the original on November 8, 2020. Retrieved November 8, 2020.
- ^ "About". Kiʻilani Arruda. Archived from the original on November 13, 2020. Retrieved November 7, 2020.
- ^ a b c "Hawaii's Ki'ilani Arruda Wins Miss Teen USA 2020". people.com. Archived from the original on November 8, 2020. Retrieved November 8, 2020.
- ^ a b Shinno, Stephanie (November 3, 2020). "Ki'ilani Arruda to compete for the 38th Miss Teen USA title". The Garden Island. Archived from the original on November 4, 2020. Retrieved November 8, 2020.
- ^ "Legacy". Miss Kauai USA. Retrieved November 7, 2020.[permanent dead link]
- ^ "Miss Hawaii Teen USA". Kiʻilani Arruda. Archived from the original on November 13, 2020. Retrieved November 7, 2020.
- ^ "Kona resident crowned Miss Hawaii Teen USA". The Garden Island. January 17, 2019. Archived from the original on November 13, 2020. Retrieved November 8, 2020.
- ^ "Spotlight shines on Kauai beauties". The Garden Island. November 27, 2018. Archived from the original on November 28, 2018. Retrieved November 8, 2020.
- ^ "Arruda wins Miss Hawai'i Teen USA 2020". The Garden Island. November 12, 2019. Archived from the original on November 13, 2019. Retrieved November 7, 2020.
- ^ Beifuss, John (November 6, 2020). "Miss USA preliminary competition: Swimsuits, evening gowns, mini-bios and more". Memphis Commercial Appeal. Archived from the original on December 3, 2021. Retrieved November 8, 2020.
- ^ "Hawaii's Ki'ilani Arruda Wins Miss Teen USA 2020". Yahoo. November 7, 2020.
- ^ "Hawaii's Ki'ilani Arruda crowned as Miss Teen USA 2020". KHON2. November 7, 2020. Archived from the original on November 8, 2020. Retrieved November 8, 2020.
- ^ Beifuss, John (November 8, 2020). "Hawaii's Ki'ilani Arruda crowned Miss Teen USA during pageant at Graceland". Memphis Commercial Appeal. Archived from the original on November 8, 2020. Retrieved November 8, 2020.
- ^ Gerken, Marika (November 8, 2020). "Hawaii's Ki'ilani Arruda crowned Miss Teen USA 2020". CNN. Archived from the original on November 9, 2020. Retrieved November 9, 2020.